


Adore

by Inwiste



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Boys Kissing, Christine is a mess, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Girls Kissing, M/M, Minor Injuries, We love Christine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-10-06 22:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20514260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inwiste/pseuds/Inwiste
Summary: Christine really needs a life. Or a girlfriend. Or both. Pepper Potts is really cute...This first story is about Christine being a tired workaholic and promptly turning into a mess when she meets Virginia Potts.





	1. Tired

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first in a series about Christine Palmer. Mostly just slice of life pieces, no heavy angst or suffering. Maybe some smut, I will just see where it goes!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the stories except for possible O.C.'s. All characters belong to Marvel.

She was starting to feel like she lived in her scrubs. It was truly never-ending. Trudging up the steps to her apartment, she was beginning to regret not taking the elevator up the four flights of stairs. Then again, the only sounds she had to listen to were the squeaking of her sneakers on the stairs up to the fourth floor. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of her door. 

Sighing again, she reached into her purse to dig out the keys to her place. It felt like she hadn’t been here in ages. She’d been swamped at work. The car accident on State Street, then the bar fight at Ricky’s, the back to school frat parties and all of the routine surgeries she already had scheduled that made it feel like she’d been on a journey to Hell and just got back. The Chief had to practically force her to leave with the nurses' help. 

“No coming back until I am fully rested and don’t run into walls. Uh-huh. Okay. Will try, but probably won’t do.” She murmured, sliding off her sneakers and scratching behind Regina’s ears as she rubbed up against her ankles.

Scooping her up into her arms, she cooed, “Poor baby, Stephen had to come and feed you and you probably didn’t get any good snuggles.” Seemingly responding to her words, Regina meowed and head-butted her chin before jumping to the floor and going to the kitchen in an attempt to get her owner to give her treats. Laughing and shaking her head, she followed the Siamese into the kitchen, fixing a bowl of kitty kibble for Regina and making a cup of tea for herself.

With her tea made she sat down on her plush couch, moving her legs so Regina could curl up in her lap. Christine exhaled; hidden tension ebbing out of her body leaving a feeling of exhaustion mixed with lead in her muscles. Sipping her chamomile, she stared out the window overlooking the Manhattan skyline, the sun peeking out from behind the chrome and glass buildings of NYC. While she was getting home, everyone else was getting up, getting ready to take on their day. 

Stifling a yawn, she set her mug down on her coffee table. Grabbing the woolen gray afghan from the other side of the couch, she turned over onto her side and placed Regina next to her face. Regina, sensing the shift in moods, promptly did a 360 and curled up. Careful not to disturb the sleeping cat, Christine draped the afghan over the two of them and settled down, falling asleep within seconds.


	2. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine needs to get out more. Stephen has the perfect event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel.

By the time she woke up, the sun was rising again and a hot cup of tea was sitting in front of her. Before she had time to speculate who it was who was in her apartment, she heard a voice call out from the kitchen, “don’t worry, Regina has been fed. I thought she was dying when I came over, but she’s clearly inherited your dramatic flair.”

Stephen walked into the living room with the Cloak trailing behind him carrying a cup of tea and a plate of toast. Setting the toast in front of her and the cup in front of Stephen, it then settled on it's master’s shoulders, who was currently looking at her in a disapproving fashion. 

“You were at the hospital for a while. What time did you even get home?” Sitting up and wrapping her afghan around her shoulders, she glared at Stephen. “First of all, I do not have a dramatic flair. If she inherited anyone’s sense of the dramatic, it was yours. I got home from the hospital yesterday morning around this time. I guess I slept the whole day.”

She took a bite of the toast and took a deep breath. “Lately all I’ve been doing is either working at the hospital or passing out here until Regina smacks me awake to feed her. As you’ve clearly seen by my pitiful fridge, it has been a long couple of weeks. Chief Blasey is forcing me to use my vacation days as the end of the year is coming up, so I have two weeks off starting today. I’ll probably be spending them shopping and reading. I need to catch up on my reading list. I’m falling behind on it. I haven’t even read The Miniaturist yet.”

Stephen set his cup down and leaned farther back into his chair. “You know Christine, maybe you should go out and be social. When was the last time you’ve left the apartment for reasons other than to go to work or go shopping?” He had her there. She was so busy with her job she’d lost contact with most of her friends and she didn’t usually have time to go make more. “I’d rather not answer that one. Honestly, though, I don’t even know where to start when it comes to being social. I haven’t been to a social event in ages besides charity events and medical galas.”

Stephen grinned in a way that made a shiver run down Christine’s spine. Whenever he got that look on his face, bad things happened. He had that same look in his eye when he tricked Nick into thinking the zombie apocalypse had happened while he was asleep in the on-call room. Sitting forward in his chair, he said “you know Christine, there’s going to be a little get-together at the Avengers Compound this weekend and we’re supposed to bring friends. You can always come with me. It’ll be a memorable experience for sure.” He flashed her a dazzling smile in an attempt to charm her that only made her feel warier. She didn’t like the way he was talking, but she did need to meet new people. The only time she ever really talked to the Avengers was when she was stitching them up after their fights. It couldn’t hurt to go, could it?

“Even though something is telling me I might regret this, I’ll come with you, Stephen. But if you get yourself into any trouble or get me into any sort of trouble, rest assured knowing that I will get my revenge.” Stephen only chuckled, brushing off her threat. “Sounds like a plan Christine. I’ll come over here around 7 on Friday. It’s a casual event so wear whatever you feel comfortable in. I’ll see you then.” He then got up, stretched, and came over and kissed her on the forehead before creating a portal. 

Just as he was about to walk through, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “One last thing Christine. Please do some shopping before this weekend. I’m afraid you’ll die if you don’t restock your fridge.” And with that, he was gone.  
Christine sighed, then stood up and grabbed her coat and purse. She pushed her feelings of nervousness about this weekend away for now. Stephen was right. She really needed to do some shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	3. Klutz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine goes to the party, prepared to be awkward and anti-social. She's in for a bit of a surprise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to work on this and post it earlier but I fell asleep for four hours in the middle of the day so...
> 
> For the Avengers Compound, I was thinking they would have multiple common areas, and one main one. Here's a link for a mansion living room that I based this off of. 
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=mansion+living+room&safe=active&sxsrf=ACYBGNTP61uyh0HZ-1cmSW1Q5gRgS_nvSw:1567999814663&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjbw9e_5sLkAhWQHDQIHXVbD74Q_AUIEigB&biw=1370&bih=723#imgrc=E4aRVUVxLzrpmM:

Tugging at her sweater once more, she stepped back and inspected her appearance in the mirror. Since Stephen said it was casual and it was the middle of November she opted to wear a thick-knit cream-colored cotton sweater paired with a pair of jeans and her favorite pair of boots. The past two days had gone by in a blur. She restocked her fridge, cleaned her apartment, and even had time to watch Star Trek: Discovery. Anything to keep her from stressing over this. It was just a get-together so she wasn’t sure why she was freaking out. Her social anxiety had always been bad, but it had been awful ever since she broke up with Juliet. Stephen was the only person she talked to outside of work.

She shook her head and pushed that train of thought to the back of her mind. “Deal with your emotional baggage later Christine. Now is not the time” she murmured as she dished out Regina’s food. The Siamese flicked her tail at her before stalking over to her food dish and eating her kibble. Regina was probably tired of hearing her talk to herself. 

Walking over to the mirror again, she went to check her hair one more time but was interrupted by the sound of a spinning portal. Stephen strolled through a minute later, dressed in a gray sweater with a white-collar peeking through and black jeans. The outfit was completed by brown leather gloves. Smiling at Christine, he went over to Regina and scratched behind her ears, chuckling as she abandoned her food in the pursuit of more scratches. 

“You look great Christine, less like the living dead. Ready to go?” Rolling her eyes at his antics, she nodded and walked over to him. Kissing Regina on the head, she stood up and adjusted her sweater one more time. “Let’s go.” Spinning a portal, Stephen walked through it and Christine followed suit. 

Stephen grabbed her arm to prevent her from tripping as she walked through the portal. She was so distracted by her surroundings, she failed to notice the steps in front of her. Quickly regaining her composure after her almost-fall, she gave Stephen a quiet look of thanks and tried to not die inside. Thankfully, not many people were here yet. A couple of people she recognized were putting out food and drinks while someone slept on the couch. 

Tony walked in with Peter right behind him, practically vibrating with excitement. She could hear him say “oh my god Mr. Stark I’m so excited to be here and I can’t wait to be at the party and Aunt May said I can stay at the compound and oh my gosh it's Doctor Strange and Doctor Palmer I’m going to go say hi.” Trying not to break into an all-out sprint, he speed-walked over to them and much to her surprise, gave Stephen a quick hug and then hugged her. “It’s so great to see you, Doctor Palmer! I feel like I only ever see you when you’re stitching me up and you seem nice so I want to talk to you more but Doctor Strange says you’re busy at the hospital so I haven’t gotten to talk to you so hi!” 

Peter took a deep breath after that, having used most of it right then. Stephen smiled and Christine laughed. “Peter, you don’t have to be so formal. Call me Christine.” Peter gave her a lopsided smile. “Okay Miss Christine!” Seeing Harley enter the room, he said a quick goodbye and walked over to his friend. 

Turning to Stephen, she smiled and relaxed a bit. This was not going terribly yet. Stephen laughed at her visibly less tense expression and posture. She needed to get out more. Before he could talk to Christine about who would be here, Tony walked up to them. “Hey Christine, hey Stephanie. Glad you could make it. How’s it going?”

Rolling his eyes at the nickname, Stephen replied “it’s great. Thank you for inviting us.” Tony grinned at Stephen, looking at him in more of a suggestive manner. Turning to her, Tony apologetically smiled. “Christine, I’m sorry but I just realized I need to talk to Stephanie about something related to his consultancy. It won’t take long, don’t worry.” Acting like she didn’t know that they were going to go make-out in a closet, she waved them off. “Tony, don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” Grabbing Stephen’s arm, he dragged him through a door to their right, disappearing. 

Christine sighed. It was going to be a long night. The room was quickly filling with people, some she knew and others she didn’t. Heading over to the couch, she was preparing to sit awkwardly in the corner for another three hours, until she bumped into someone she didn’t know. 

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. I need to pay attention to where I’m going.” Great. She’d been here 15 minutes and she’d already shown her inner klutz. The woman turned around and laughed. Heck. She was really pretty. “Don’t worry. It’s a bit crowded in here. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Christine Palmer. I’m here with Stephen.” “Pepper Potts. Nice to meet you.”


	4. Blush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party improved for Christine with the addition of a certain red-head. Hopefully, she didn't screw this up too badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies, I meant to post this earlier but I've been busy packing for my dorm! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Christine was in love. Yes, it had only been about 20 minutes since she had started talking to Pepper Potts but the gay disaster within her felt like she had known her forever. 

After the initial meeting, they decided to move to the bar across the room to talk since it was quieter over there. Sam Wilson was the DJ, but he was currently in an argument with Bucky Barnes about something. Those two were always arguing though. Christine could think of multiple times when she had been treating one of them and they didn’t stop bickering while she was stitching them up. 

“They’re quite the pair, aren’t they? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been called to break up fights. The amazing part is that they’re such good friends despite all of the arguing” Pepper sipped her scotch, laughing as Natasha came over to chew out Wilson and Barnes. 

Christine smiled, her heart constricting at the sound of Pepper’s light laugh. It had been so long since she’d been out having fun. She felt less like an outsider with Pepper here. In the past 20 minutes, they’d gotten to know so much about each other, about Christine’s job and Pepper’s CEO responsibilities babysitting Tony. They’d been able to bond over their idiotic friends that ended up dragging them into highly ridiculous situations. 

She jumped a little at the feeling of a smooth hand resting on hers. Moving her gaze upwards from their hands, her heart skipped a beat as she looked into Pepper’s warm blue eyes. Pepper leaned closer to Christine, her face only inches away from Christine’s now. 

“I hope you’re enjoying the party a bit more now. When you bumped into me, you looked a little lost. I get it. These parties can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not one of the Avengers. Generally, I don’t enjoy attending these, but this one has turned out to be quite pleasant.” She looked as if she were about to say something else, or possibly do something else, but they were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Pepper glared at the offending piece of technology, muttering something about work interrupting her only free time as she answered.

“Uh-huh. Yeah. Only thing is, I don’t see why I need to be there. This was something we took care of months ago. The contracts were drawn up and work has already started. I don’t see why PeaceHope is now concerned about the outline. Fine. Fine. I will head over to the main meeting room now. Goodbye.” 

Putting her phone down on the counter she sighed. Turning to Christine she gave her an apologetic smile. “This is the worst, but I have to go to a meeting. One of our contracts is having some issues. I’m really sorry.” Christine waved her off and shot her a quick smile. “It’s fine. I get it. Emergencies happen. It was really nice meeting you Pepper.”

“I feel the same, Christine. Just one more thing.” Rummaging around in her bag, she pulled out a notepad and a pen. Scribbling down something, she tore the paper off and gave it to Christine. “I hope you like me enough to keep talking. I’m sad our evening was cut short, but I’d love to keep chatting and getting to know you, Christine Palmer.” Rising out of her seat, she smoothed her clothes and did something Christine truly did not expect. She moved towards Christine cautiously, her face saying the words. “Can I?” Christine nodded, a blush rising in her cheeks she hoped Pepper couldn’t see. Pepper moved in closer, putting a finely manicured hand on the side of Christine’s face, leaned in and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. Pulling back, she smiled softly and winked.

“Until next time Christine.” Fighting off the urge to melt and die of happiness, she returned the smile. “Until next time Pepper.”

The rest of the evening was a blur, Stephen finally returning after another hour sporting a few poorly concealed hickeys on his neck and collarbone. Christine talked to a few people after that, joining in some lively conversations but she was never able to focus. Pepper’s face kept flashing in her mind, her soft voice whispering in her ear, leaning closer until…”

“Christine?” “Holy shit. What?” Stephen narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising at her startled reaction. “I asked if you were ready to go.” Oh. Yeah. She had forgotten they were still at the party. It was slowly winding down, and she was ready to go home. “Yeah Stephen, I’m good. Let’s go.”

As they walked through the portal, Stephen queried. “Had fun?” Christine smiled. “I did. I most definitely did.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine gets ready for her day and receives an unexpected surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I was just going with the flow of the story and I didn't have a concrete plan. Now, I've drawn out how the story is going to go and how it's going to end. Also, little easter egg in the chapter! Pepper Potts' phone number is the Manhattan area code (212) and the rest of her phone number is the release date of Iron Man 5/02/2008. I hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Note: Italics indicate texting.
> 
> I do not own any of these characters or anything. All belong to Marvel.

Tugging her sweater over her head, she decided to change into her pajamas. Stephen had left about five minutes ago and Christine was exhausted. She headed over to her couch and draped her afghan around her, putting on Doctor Who. Not even twenty minutes into the episode, she drifted off to sleep with Regina on her side. 

She woke up to tendrils of light creeping through the windows of her apartment. Dawn had just broken so she guessed it was around 6:30-6:45. Seeing she was awake, Regina hopped onto the couch and meowed in her face, putting a paw on her chest. 

“I know you’re hungry. The paw to the face was a clear indicator of that.”

She rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen, pulling out Regina’s food and leaving it for her to eat in peace. Fixing herself a cup of tea, she walked out onto her balcony to watch the sunrise. 

Her eyes scanned the horizon, watching as the soft beams of the early morning light reflected off the skyscrapers creating a breathtaking landscape. This was her favorite way to wake up, but she often neglected it due to her crazy hours at the hospital. While it had been hard to leave work, she was so happy to have the time off now. The bags under her eyes were looking less like luggage, thankfully. 

She closed her eyes, taking in the cool morning air, the sounds of early morning traffic, and the already busy streets. Sadly, she couldn’t stay out here all day. She had things to do. She walked inside, making sure to close her balcony door. Regina never went out there, but she never wanted to risk leaving it open. 

She grabbed the afghan off of her couch, folding it neatly and laying it on one end of the sectional. Christine then grabbed her phone and went to check her messages, not that she was really expecting any. The only person she ever talked to regularly outside of work was Stephen. Most of her friends fell out of her life and she never bothered to make more. She scrolled through her email first, checking for anything important. Nothing. She then went to check her messages. Her only message was from Stephen asking how she was and if she had enjoyed the party. 

_ Christine: The party was boring at first and ended up being surprisingly fun. How was your night in the closet making out with Tony? _

_ Stephen: I figured you’d notice the hickey. It was great, thank you for asking. Meet anyone interesting? _

Christine paused. She wasn’t sure whether or not to tell Stephen she met Pepper. She knew that Tony and Pepper were excellent friends and that Stephen and Pepper knew each other as well, but she didn’t want Stephen talking to Tony about it. Brushing off her nervousness, she replied.

_ Christine: As a matter of fact, I did. I met Pepper Potts. She was fun to chat with.  _

_ Stephen: Just chatting, huh? Pepper looked incredibly distracted when she ran into us in the hallway. So distracted she didn’t even make any comments about our appearances. She appeared to be daydreaming. Any idea why Christine? _

Bastard. Stephen was too smart for his own good. Still, her heart fluttered at his words. Daydreaming? Maybe Pepper had been daydreaming about her. She doubted that though. They only talked for about an hour before she was interrupted and had to leave, but that reminded her…

Disregarding Stephen’s suggestive text, she grabbed her bag off the dining room table and began rummaging through it, smiling when she found what she was looking for. Christine held the piece of paper Pepper gave her in her hand, staring at the number written in neat handwriting. 

_ (212) 502-2008 _

She then put the number in her contacts, pausing at the name. She’d just put down Pepper Potts. Christine took a deep breath, steeling herself against her rising anxiety, and sent a message.

_ Christine: Hey, this is Christine Palmer, we met at the party last night.  _

Okay. She did it. Christine then remembered Stephen, and she decided to snark back at him.

_ Christine: Hmm, no idea. Maybe she’s given up because of you two.  _

_ Stephen: You sure you don’t know why? Tony says that Pepper was distracted this morning and kept checking her phone, and was disappointed when she didn’t have any messages. Going to play doctor for her? _

_ Christine: … _

_   
_ Sadly, she couldn’t spend her entire day snarking at Stephen. While she didn’t have much to do, she did have a couple of ideas to spend her days. The Museum of Natural History had what was supposed to be an amazing temporary exhibit about the planets. She decided to go for a walk in Central Park and coffee and then go to the museum when it opened. New York November weather was quite chilly, so she opted to pull out her favorite pea coat dress and a sweater, jeans, and boots. She finished her look with a scarlet scarf and headed out to grab her purse. She picked up her phone and was about to put it in her bag when she realized she had an unread message. Expecting it to be Stephen, she opened her messages and prepared a witty response only to stop short. It wasn’t Stephen. 

_ Pepper: Hey Christine. Are you busy today? I’d love to get to know you better :) _


	6. Coffee Shops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper and Christine meet up and have a wonderful day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made up a bit of a backstory for Christine since they don't really talk about her origins and I couldn't find much. I had her order chai because I am a hoe for chai espresso and chai tea lattes, so yeah. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All belong to Marvel.

To say Pepper was stressed would be an understatement. And for once in her life, it had nothing to do with Tony, work, or the Avengers. Work was great. She was on vacation starting today for a week and she was so happy. Tony was not on fire or currently doing something idiotic. The Avengers were not on fire or currently doing something idiotic either. No, this was about Christine. Christine, the beautiful woman that happened to bump into Pepper and was now at the center of her thoughts and her main distraction in the best way possible. 

She gave Christine her number with the hope that she would text her, and by some miracle she did. Pepper was drying her hair after her shower when she heard her phone ding. Turning her blowdryer off, she grabbed her phone off the counter and paused, slightly afraid of turning her phone off. Shaking her fears off, she turned on her phone and went to messages. 

Christine: As a matter of fact, I’m off work for the next two weeks. I was planning on going to Central Park this morning and then going to see the temporary exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. I would love to have some company :)

Pepper inadvertently squealed when she read Christine’s text. Okay. Potts, calm yourself down. Compose a text message that sounds coherent unlike what you sound like right now. She took a deep breath and started typing. 

Pepper: I would be delighted to join you. I haven’t had a chance to see the new planetary exhibit. Where do you want to meet in the park?

Christine: How about Bethesda Terrace? It shouldn’t be too busy this early in the day. 

Pepper: Sounds perfect. Meet there at 7:30? 

Christine: Sounds good. See you then :)

Okay. She didn’t have much time as it was already 7 o’clock. She grabbed a sweater, a pair of jeans and a pair of boots from her closet and quickly put them on, grabbing her purse and coat off the hook next to the door of her apartment and hurrying out. She was greeted by the cool autumn air as she walked out of her apartment building, quickly turning right and starting a brisk pace towards Bethesda Terrace.

Christine was right. When she arrived there at 7:25, Bethesda Terrace was mostly empty, except for the early morning joggers and commuters taking a shortcut through Central Park on their way to work. She looked for Christine, finding her quickly in the mostly deserted courtyard. Dressed in a gray peacoat with a red scarf, she looked absolutely adorable. Seeing Pepper, she smiled and waved, beckoning her over to her place by the fountain. Fighting a rising blush in her cheeks, she made her way over to Christine.

“You’re early stranger.” Christine teased.

“I walk fast. People tell me I can be quite hard to keep up with.” Pepper replied, grinning. 

Christine laughed and brushed a stray hair out of her face. “I hate slow walkers. They are one of the things that I can never tolerate. Since you’re here and I’m here, obviously, do you want to get some coffee? There’s an amazing cafe nearby that opened at 7. I figured we could hang out there for a while and then go to the museum.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Let’s go.”

They chatted idly as they made their way over to the cafe, mostly about work.

“I’m sure you get this question a lot, but what’s it like being the CEO of Stark Industries?”

“It’s amazing, actually. When I first joined SI I was disillusioned with the weapons we made, but it was a job. After really getting to know Tony and after SI’s transformation though, it’s become something I’ve become really invested in. I like to think that while Tony saves the world with his superhero work, all of the employees of SI are helping make the world a better and more sustainable place. The other aspect of the job that no one knows about is a bit harder.”

“What’s that?”

She gave Christine a serious look, before saying with complete seriousness utterly devoid of emotion “babysitting Tony Stark.” 

As soon as she said it, Christine cracked a smile and quickly burst into laughter, Pepper following suit. [Her smile is really beautiful.] She mused. [I hope I get to see more of that. Who needs the sun when you can look at her.]

“While I don’t relate to your CEO responsibilities, I do understand the babysitting. There have been so many times where Stephen comes over hell-bent on some stupid scheme or idea, and Wong and I have to talk him out of it. He has two moods. He’s either incredibly responsible and the voice of reason, or he’s the biggest dumbass I’ve ever met.”

“That’s Tony right there. The two of them seem to share two brain cells. I don’t think they even use them though.”

“You’re probably right about that. We’re here. This is by far my favorite coffee shop in Manhattan.” She opened the door, beckoning Pepper to go through. As soon as Pepper walked in, she was greeted with the aroma of cinnamon mixed with other spices. Christine led them to a two-person table near the window, and they sat down. 

After a minute or two of looking at the menus, Christine spoke up. “I think I’m going to get the chai espresso and a scone. Do you know what you want?”

“Hmm. I think I’m going to get the turmeric chai latte and a slice of their coffee cake.” 

As if they sensed they were ready to order, a server came over to take their order. As they left, Christine leaned forward a bit and took a deep breath.

“I discovered this cafe when I moved to Manhattan for my residency. I’m from Chicago and went to Northwestern, but NYC was still pretty intimidating to me. One day I was walking through Central Park, right around here when it started pouring. I didn’t have an umbrella, and my raincoat really wasn’t that good. I looked for somewhere to go to get out of the rain, and I came across this place. By the time I found this place I was soaking wet, but I was just grateful to be out of the rain. I’ve frequented this place ever since.”

Pepper was a bit stunned among other things. Christine took her to her favorite place instead of just some B-list place and didn’t try to make her impressed by showing off? She was falling more in love by the minute. Impulsively, she reached her hand out and took one of Christine’s hands in hers. They were soft but firm. Delicate.

“Everyone needs somewhere that feels like home. I’m glad you found yours. This seems like an amazing place.”

Christine smiled and opened her mouth, preparing to say something but was interrupted by the arrival of their food and drinks. Pepper smiled back. She had a feeling that she and Christine were going to have a good time.

____________________________________________________________________________

It was already dark by the time they left the Pho restaurant. The day had gone by so fast. What was meant to be some time at the cafe and the museum quickly turned into an entire day spent together? After the museum, they walked around Central Park, and on a whim rented one of the rowboats and set out on the water. Despite it being November, there were quite a few people out and they had an amazing time. After that, Pepper recommended this Pho restaurant she frequented with Tony, and the rest was history. 

“I can’t believe you and Stephen capsized one of those rowboats. How did you manage that? They’re pretty sturdy. Were you trying to capsize?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know. Stephen kept moving around and neither of us was paying attention. Thank god we were wearing light clothing. It was so embarrassing. One of the motorboats had to come and help us. We looked like drenched cats by the time we got to land. It was hilarious looking back on it. At the time though, I seriously considered moving back to Chicago and changing my name.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve all done stupid things. I could fill a book with the number of stupid things Tony and I have done.”

They entered the subway and joined the commuters leaving work waiting for the next train. Surprisingly enough, they could ride the same subway and just walked ten minutes in the opposite direction from each other to get to their apartments. By the time they got on the train, it was packed. Everyone was squished together, and Christine and Pepper held onto the same bar. They were so close Pepper could smell the shampoo Christine was wearing. She smelled faintly of lavender and green tea. A jolt on the tracks pushed them even closer together, Christine’s back falling against Pepper’s chest.

Pepper’s brain short-circuited for a minute but quickly recovered. Before she knew it, it was their stop, thankfully. They were greeted by the crisp evening air as they walked out of the subway, and went to stand under the awning of an office building. Christine spoke first, prompting Pepper to look her in the eyes.

“So, I guess this is goodbye. I have to say, I didn’t imagine my day would be this fun when I woke up. Thank you. This is the best time I’ve had in a while.”  
“The company makes it better, but I have to agree. This was super fun. We should do this again.”

Christine looked deep in thought before she responded. “We should. I’m sorry, but I have to get going. Regina is going to riot if I’m not home to feed her soon. I’m free for the next week and a half, so just give me a call.”

Pepper nodded, smiling. Christine’s words seemed genuine, and she was glad. It truly was the best time she’d had in a while. “I’ll see you later then.”

“I think you will. Just one last thing.” In an act of what Pepper believed to be extreme bravery, she leaned in and kissed Pepper softly. She quickly reacted to the kiss and reciprocated, putting a gloved hand on Christine’s waist and pulling her closer to her. They eventually broke apart, both blushing quite fiercely from the cold and the event that just transpired.

Christine was the first to compose herself. Giving Pepper a kiss on the cheek, she turned the other direction and started to walk away, but stopped. She turned around and winked. “Maybe I’ll be the one to call you Pepper Potts. It’s hard to forget a kiss like that.” 

Turning around once more, she vanished into the evening crowd.


	7. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper talks to Tony and he gives her some advice. Stephen does the same with Christine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this earlier, but I've been super busy with my first week of classes. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All characters belong to Marvel.

For the rest of the evening, Pepper felt as if she were floating on air. It was a miracle she managed to make it back to her apartment without running into someone, she was so distracted. When she arrived back, she was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. After such a long day, she decided to simply go to bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. 

She woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming through the blinds of her bedroom and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Grumbling, she made her way out of her room and into the kitchen, where she laid eyes on Tony Stark. 

“Morning Pep. I’m surprised to see you up so late and grumpy. Normally by this time you’re dressed and dragging me out the door. Then again, I suspect you were busy yesterday since you didn’t talk to me at all.” He turned off the coffee pot and handed a cup to Pepper, keeping one for himself. 

“It was a long day. A good day, but a long one. I met up with Christine in the morning and we spent the day together. I suppose I ended up sleeping longer than I expected to. I do have the next week off after all.”

With that, Tony smirked and chuckled. “Christine Palmer? I love her. She’s a talented doctor and a good person. Not to mention she makes sound life decisions and keeps Stephen alive for the most part. I’m assuming you two met at the party?”

Taking a seat at the counter, she put her cup down and glanced at Tony who came to sit next to her. “We did. She accidentally bumped into me after you and Stephen went to go have sex in a closet. We hit it off instantly. Then yesterday on a whim I asked if she wanted to meet up and she did. It was supposed to be coffee and the Natural History Museum but we ended up spending the entire day together. It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. I haven’t gotten out much since, well ever. I like her, and I think she likes me, given how the night ended.” 

“Oh, did you?” 

“No, not that. She kissed me. It was nice.”

“Aww, how sweet. Can I give you some advice Pep? You’re always the one counseling me, but I think I have advice for you.”

“Of course. You’re my friend Tony.”

“Pepper, Christine is one of a kind. There aren’t many Christine’s out in the world. You normally can’t go five minutes without stressing out over SI or something else, much less a day. She has to be special to you to have that power. When you meet people like those, it’s best to hang onto them for as long as you can. You like her, she likes you, there’s not much more you can ask for. You’ve spent so much time and effort helping others. Now, it’s time to help yourself.”

Pulling him into a tight hug, she smiled. “Thanks, Tony.”

“Anytime Pepper. Anytime.”

______________________________________________________

Christine wasn’t sure how long she’d been pacing. She hadn’t liked anyone this much since, well ever. Everything had happened so fast, but it felt so right. But if everything felt right, then it could go wrong, and then she could lose someone she cared about, and then what next? She was socially awkward, not that extroverted, and she was super busy. It might just be her and Regina for the rest of time. 

“I can hear your thoughts from here. The pacing doesn’t help either.”  
She whipped around as soon as she heard his voice. Stephen was sitting on her couch, sipping a cup of tea. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t hear him come in. He smiled and patted the seat next to him.

“Christine, you might wear a hole in the floor with all this pace. Come on, sit down.”

She couldn’t argue with that. All of this pacing had worn her out more than she expected it to. She walked over to the couch, practically falling on it and didn’t even protest when Stephen scooped her up in an embrace. He was the only one she let hug her or touch her at all. 

“I like her.”

“I know, Christine.”

“I don’t like this.”

“I know that too. But you know what else I know? You looked happier hanging out with Pepper at the party and spending time with her today than you have in a long time.”

“As cheesy as it sounds, when I was out there with her, it’s like the rest of the world didn’t exist.”

“It’s because you love her. As scary as it is, you’re in love with her, and I’m pretty sure she loves you back.” He kissed the top of her head and turned to face her. “The best love is the scariest love. It’s the scariest because you know you have so much to lose. At the same time though, the world is less scary because you have someone there to face it with you. Maybe it won’t work out, maybe it will. Only time will tell.”

He gathered her in a tight embrace once more and sighed. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here. I’m not leaving you, Christine.”

They fell asleep in that embrace, the tears on Stephen’s shirt slowly drying.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine and Pepper meet again. They talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this during the week, but I had an exam and became super busy. I've greatly enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it.
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters minus OC's belong to Marvel.

It wasn’t until two days later that Christine and Pepper saw each other again, under less than desirable circumstances. 

Christine was relaxing on her couch when a portal opened beside her TV. Stephen limped out clutching his side and turned to Christine.”

“Christine, we need you. There was a fight. The Avengers got hit hard, we need-”

Stephen was unable to finish his sentence, as his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. Christine rushed over, immediately scanning for injuries and checking his pulse. Thready, but fairly strong. Her heart sank as she laid eyes on his side. There was a gaping wound, most likely caused by some sort of weapon. Blood was still gushing out and he was growing paler by the minute. She tore off strips of his robes and applied them to the wound, but blood continued to flow. The Cloak pulled itself from out under its master, clearly in distress. There was only one option. The portal was still open, and it led to the street. The fight was right by Metro Gen it seemed. She had to take him through the open portal. He would bleed out if she tried to get him out of the apartment any other way.

“Levi, I have an idea. You need to wrap Stephen up when I lift him up and put pressure on the wound, okay?”

She hoped Levi understood. She went and sat behind Stephen, gently pushing him upwards and sideways into Levi’s waiting embrace. As soon as his upper body was secured, she grabbed his legs and lifted him onto Levi. Levi wrapped Stephen up tightly, using one corner to apply pressure to the wound, and slowly levitated. Christine took a deep breath and walked through the other side, Levi following. 

____________________________________________________________________________

The street was empty except for chunks of debris littering the area. A major fight had clearly gone on, but no hostile looking beings were in sight. Creeping out, she turned both directions to see exactly where they were. They were on 1st Ave, and the hospital was only about 100 feet to their left. It seemed to be spared of any damage minus the people swarming the door.

“Follow me, Levi. We’re going to get Stephen some help.”

Wary of their surroundings, she had them continue at a fast pace, keeping a lookout for any possible movement. There was no one here, but if someone showed up, there would be nothing they could do. 100 feet turned into 50, 50 turned into 25, and they arrived at the front doors. 

“Everyone, move. We have a critical patient here who needs care immediately.” She yelled, hoping they would listen.

Upon seeing the Avenger, they parted like the Red Sea, allowing easy access to the E.R. where nurses and several doctors were already congregating. Chief Blasey appeared out of one of the hallways, her look of surprise quickly shifting into worry upon seeing Stephen. 

“Christine, what happened?”

“Chief, I don’t know. I ran into him, apparently, there was some sort of fight that the Avengers were called in to stop. Something happened then. He appears to have a mild concussion, a massive puncture wound to the side, and some shallow lacerations all over the body.” 

“Okay. Christine, go scrub in.”  
“Wait, what, Chief?”

Chief glanced over to Stephen, secured by several doctors and nurses in a gurney, who then wheeled him to one of the ORs. “I don’t like this, not one bit, but it’s the best option. We are expecting more casualties from the fight to come in. I was about to call you when you burst in with Stephen. We need all hands on deck, and you’re the one most capable to save Stephen. Go. They need you.”

“Thank you, Chief.”

Turning on her heel, she ran to the OR, where a nurse was waiting with scrubs.

“He’s prepped, Doctor. The bleeding seems to have slowed down, but we are still applying pressure.”

“Good. Thank you, nurse. Page neurology and ask them to bring a portable C.T. scanner. Scrub in when you are ready.”

Six minutes later, she walked into the O.R.

“Alright. I need a ten blade, sponges…

____________________________________________________________________________

She walked out of the O.R. four hours later. Stephen was okay. The head C.T. revealed no brain trauma except for a possible concussion, just like she thought. The side wound showed no signs of infection, and it was able to be sutured and easily stitched up after some scares in surgery. 

“Doctor Palmer? There are several people here to see you.” 

“Thank you, nurse. I assume they’re in the waiting room?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Making her way out, she immediately laid eyes on Tony, Pepper, and Peter. They all looked worse for wear but got on their feet when they saw Christine. Tony rushed towards her, his voice cracking as he asked.

“Christine, is Stephen okay?”

“Stephen is okay. He had a major side wound and may also have a mild concussion. Other than that, he is fine. Why don’t we go to his room?”   
She led them down the hall to a private area, where Stephen was.

“He most likely won’t wake up for several more hours. When he does, we have to do an exam to check for a concussion and examine his sutures. I’ll leave you alone with him for now. I will be back in half an hour.”

She walked out of the door and went to the nearest bathroom. She walked to the farthest wall and slid down until she was curled up on the floor. Seeing Stephen like that, it was too familiar to the car accident, the rogue sorcerer incident, and all of the other times she’d had to stitch him up. She thought she was going to lose him. She couldn’t. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them off. 

She was snapped out of her melancholy trance by the sound of a door opening, and by the redhead who walked in. Wordlessly, she walked over to Christine and sat down next to her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“I remember the first time I saw Tony after Afghanistan. And all of the times after it. It weighs down your heart to see the person most important to you so small. I tried to ignore the fear, I isolated myself, but no matter what it kept coming back. I was so afraid of losing Tony because then I would be alone. Eventually, I realized that I couldn’t stop him or keep him safe. I had to let him go. He found someone to face the world with, and I was alone. Until I met you.”

At the sound of those words, Christine lifted her head to look at Pepper, whose eyes were welling up with tears as well. 

“Christine, I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I’ve never felt so happy, even when I’m not with you. I want to face the world with you because my world wouldn’t be complete without you in it. Please, give us a chance.”

Christine stared into her eyes, pained, but hopeful. Closing her eyes, she leaned in for a gentle kiss. Their lips barely brushed together, but it was all they needed. Together was enough. Together, they could face the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will try to update this every couple of days. Comments and kudos are my lifeblood!


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